Famous Last Words
by Susan strong
Summary: Anastasia María Romina Morozov had been sent to Lyle House because of an instant at her old school involving her biting another student—a bite with enough force to draw blood. Slowly realizing something wasn't quite right with the way things were running, Anastasia catches the attention of a boy with emerald green eyes and his brother.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Sofía held the bundle in her arms, chewing on her bottom lip. Her husband, Andrei, paced around the room, mumbling to himself in Russian. Though they had been told the experiments had been successful, they couldn't help but worry. Since their daughter's birth, everything had been going smoothly. Their little Anastasia seemed to be just like an ordinary Human—though it was too soon to determine if she'd live a normal life, there was still the hope that she could live a more Human lifestyle. It was still too early to tell if there had been any kind of mistakes in the experiments, but for the most part, Anastasia wasn't experiencing anything out of the ordinary.

"They said she'll be fine, Andrei," Sofía said. "The doctors did everything to prevent her turning out like us."

"That's what's starting to worry me," Andrei muttered, a Russian accent lacing his words. "How can they alter what she is? She's _our daughter_ , she will always be what _we_ are."

"What we are is dangerous," Sofía hissed. When the baby in her arms started whining, she calmed herself down, taking some relaxing breaths. "We aren't accepted by anyone outside our own kind."

"Letting those doctors perform what they did to Anastasia..." Andrei shook his head. "Those alterations while she's in the womb? We're lucky she didn't _die_."

"You're right, Andrei," Sofía murmured, cradling Anastasia close to her chest. "We're lucky she didn't die. But I know we did the right thing. She would never be accepted by anyone but us. Do you understand how rare it is to find others like us?"

"Anastasia could have lived a normal life _without_ going through all that." Andrei looked down, his vivid blue eyes shimmering with guilt. Anastasia was his only daughter, and while, at the time, it seemed like those alterations and experiments would've been the best thing for his little girl—wanting Anastasia to live the most normal life possible—he was starting to wonder why he allowed himself to do that to his daughter. "What about the medication?" Andrei muttered. "If the doctors are so confident in Anastasia's final outcome, why would they need to give her medication?"

"Side-effects?" Sofía sighed. "We don't know what will happen to her when she's older. I think the medication is to help her deal with any kind of side-effects."

"If this worked, she shouldn't _have_ side-effects," Andrei barked. Anastasia gave another whimper, wiggling in her mother's arms.

"Andrei." Sofía's husband looked at her with exhausted blue eyes. "We did what we did because we wanted Anastasia to have a better, easier life. That's what we were told when we went to them. Right?" He nodded. "Everything about what we are and what we do is dangerous."

"What if hunters found us?" Andrei hissed. "They would _kill_ Anastasia, regardless of what's been done to her."

Sofía shook her head. "Do you remember my brother, Ari?" Andrei's face became grim as he nodded. "I told him that if anything ever happened to us, he'd take Anastasia and raise her."

"You know how I feel about Ari," Andrei grumbled. "Anastasia could live with my family."

"We can't send her to Russia, Andrei." Sofía shot a look her husband's way. "Especially if she's too young to fly a plane by herself. Ari lives nearby, he adores Anastasia."

"He hasn't even met her."

"I've sent him pictures."

"What about your parents?" Andrei exclaimed. "If something happens to us, why not send little Anya to your parents?"

"They live in Cuba, Andrei."

"Compared to Russia, it's not that far."

"I think we should end the discussion." Sofía gently placed Anastasia in her crib. The infant had a mixture of her mother's tan skin and her father's pale skin, black fuzz at the top of her head, and big blue eyes. "All I want for our daughter is for her to live a life without being scared of what she is." Sofía looked at her husband with tired brown eyes. "Being scared of hunters getting to her, being rejected by those who know about what she is, always wondering why she is the way she is—I don't want that for her."

Andrei walked over and looked into the crib. Anastasia was blinking tiredly up at her parents. Looking at his daughter reminded Andrei that he had even bigger responsibilities—he knew that he'd have to be even stronger in order to protect his family. When it was just him and Sofía, he knew what he'd have to do to keep her safe, but with Anastasia, it was something completely different.

"She'll be fine, Andrei." Sofía put a comforting hand on her husband's shoulder. "All we can do now is watch her grow."

Andrei sighed. _Watch her grow,_ he thought. _Grow into what?_ He nodded.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I am so sorry if this first chapter isn't that good. I am hoping that the rest of this story will start to make sense in future chapters. This is my first 'Darkest Powers' story, so if you guys could help me through this, I would greatly appreciate it. It's going to be an eventual Derek/OC story. I do like the whole Derek-and-Chloe getting together, but I always kind of wondered about the possibility of Derek getting together with someone else. There might be some moments in this story where it's similar to the trilogy, but I don't know if I really want to do that yet.**

 **I do not own the 'Darkest Powers' characters or stories at all, those all belong to Kelley Armstrong. I own Anastasia, her parents, and my fillers.**

 **Leave a helpful and kind review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	2. Chapter 2

**1**

 **Fifteen Years Later**

Five days. That's how long Anastasia went without taking her medication, and she was starting to feel its effects. Her parents had told her how important it was for her to take her medication—well, her mother told her, her father didn't really like the idea of her taking it. From what Anastasia's been told, the medication was for some rare condition she had, never specified. Anastasia wanted to know what she had, but her parents said it was rare and if she kept up with her medicine and doctor visits, she'd be healthy in no time.

But with five days without taking her medicine, she was starting to feel a little queasy, a dull headache pounding in her head. Anastasia's teeth—more notably, her canines—would start hurting out of nowhere, and it was like she could sense every single person in the school. It was weird and she couldn't explain it. Anastasia couldn't tell her parents, then they'd figure out she wasn't taking her medicine. Her mother would be _beyond_ pissed off.

"We just want what's best for you, Anya," her mother would say, her brown eyes filled with tears. "The doctors said if you are regular with your medicine, you'll be better in no time."

"Whether you take the medication or not is up to you, _milaya_ ," her father would say, once her mother left. " _I_ won't force you to take it, but your mother thinks she's doing the right thing."

 _The right thing._ Anastasia snorted. It didn't _feel_ right, it felt wrong. Anastasia always wondered what was so terrible about her _condition_ that it'd render her mother to _tears_ at the thought of it.

"Ms. Morozov." Anastasia looked up and saw her pre-cal teacher, Mr. O'Hara, shooting a look her way. "Would you mind sharing what is so important that you don't need to pay attention?"

Mr. O'Hara was one of the most disliked teachers at the school. He took everything way too seriously, and he always seemed genuinely upset that he got stuck teaching a bunch of high school kids, so he took out his frustration on his students.

"I was thinking about how much I don't want to be in this class," Anastasia drawled.

* * *

Anastasia ended up getting kicked out of the class. Again. Obviously, it wasn't her first time getting kicked out, so she didn't think anything of it. She always managed to catch up later. Instead of just standing awkwardly outside the classroom, Anastasia settled for just wandering around the halls, trying to figure out a way to distract herself from the discomfort she was feeling.

 _I should probably go to the nurse's,_ she thought. The headache felt worse than before, it hurt to open her mouth a little because of the pain in her teeth.

"Got kicked out of class _again_ , Anastasia?" a voice called out. Millie Jeffries sauntered up to Anastasia, after having left the girls' restroom, shooting a hateful smirk Anastasia's way.

"At least I'm _going_ to class, _Mildred_ ," Anastasia muttered.

Millie's smirk contorted into a heated glare. "What did you call me?" she hissed.

"I called you Mildred," Anastasia drawled. "Isn't that your name?"

Millie's glare became more heated.

"Why do you hate being called _'Mildred'_?" Anastasia asked. "It's not _that_ ugly of a name."

Millie's hand shot out and slapped Anastasia across the face. The slap briefly echoed in the hall. Anastasia's vivid blue eyes looked at Millie, wide and angry. The hostile relationship that Anastasia and Millie shared had been going on since they were in elementary school—the two never started out friends then started disliking each other as they got older, it was just a relationship that thrived on their mutual negativity or each other.

A classroom door opened. "Is there a problem, ladies?" a teacher called. "Shouldn't the two of you be in class?"

"Everything's fine, Mrs. Beauregard," Millie said, faking a cheerfulness in her tone. "Anastasia and I were on our way right now." Taking an unnecessary step toward Anastasia, Millie put her hand on Anastasia's shoulder, as if to lead her away from where Mrs. Beauregard was watching them. Anastasia shoved Millie's hand off her shoulder.

After turning a corner, Millie and Anastasia prepared to go their separate ways, but that didn't stop Millie from whispering under her breath.

"Stupid bitch," she muttered.

With speed Anastasia didn't know she even possessed, she slapped Millie with more force than the latter gave. A red hand mark stained Millie's cheek as she stumbled to the ground, holding her face gingerly.

"You can call me whatever name you want, but don't ever hit me again," Anastasia sighed. "Do we have an understanding?"

"Anastasia." Turning, Anastasia could see quite a few students and teachers had come out of their classrooms to see what all the commotion was about. One of the teachers, some freshman teacher Anastasia couldn't remember the name of, stormed up to her. "I want you in the principal's office _right now_ , Anastasia," he exclaimed. "You can help take her to the nurse's on your way there."

Anastasia's eyes narrowed slightly, making the teacher falter a little.

Almost _yanking_ Millie off the ground, Anastasia grudgingly started her journey to the principal's office. It didn't make much of a difference for her, Anastasia's had her share of getting sent to the principal's office plenty of times since she started school—getting made fun of to the point to where she'd lash out.

Anastasia's parents had grown a little worried about her outbursts, and every time she tried explaining to them why those outbursts happened, they tried their best to be supportive.

* * *

"Ms. Morozov, this is the third time this week," the principal sighed. "First, you get kicked out of Mr. O'Hara's class, then you go and hit Mildred."

"I know."

"I don't think so, Anastasia." The principal gave an audible sigh, pinching his nose. "If you did know, you'd have stopped this behavior."

Anastasia looked down, a frown settling on her face.

"I've been trying to do better," Anastasia sighed. "It's kinda been hard."

"This is the _last time_ I'll let you off the hook, Anastasia, OK?" The principal looked at Anastasia with a look of borderline exhaustion. "I don't know what else to tell you, Anastasia. You're smart, I just can't understand why you act out the way you do."

Anastasia didn't meat the principal's gaze. She had a feeling her outbursts would worsen on the fact that she hadn't been taking her medication, but she knew better than to mention it.

"You can go, Anastasia. _Try_ not to get into any more trouble, OK?"

* * *

When school had finally ended, with Anastasia hanging out front, there was a sort of heaviness weighing in Anastasia's chest as she saw hordes of students leaving. She swallowed thickly. If Anastasia knew anything, it was that news about what she did to Millie would spread through the school.

"Morozov," a voice called. Looking over, Anastasia saw Millie with her group of friends walking over.

The heaviness seemed to weigh down even more on Anastasia.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I hope this chapter was good enough.**

 **I don't own the 'Darkest Powers' series, only my characters and my fillers.**

 **Leave a helpful and kind review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	3. Chapter 3

**2**

Anastasia could see the looks Millie's friends were giving her. It was obvious they wanted to start something, and Anastasia knew better than to get herself worked up with whatever crap they'd throw her way. Anastasia had been lucky enough to get out of trouble for hitting Millie, she couldn't afford any more trouble.

"What's this I hear about you hitting Millie," Benji, Millie's boyfriend, exclaimed. Benji was the stereotypical jock, the kind of person who'd only attract those annoying, superficial girls.

"She was causing some problems," Anastasia drawled. The red spot on Millie's cheek hadn't let up, and she was going through periods of icing it and shooting heated glares Anastasia's way. "It's nothing that hasn't happened before."

Benji scowled at Anastasia. "I don't appreciate anyone treating my girlfriend like that."

"Well, I wouldn't say your girlfriend's some kind of saint. Millie's not exactly the most well liked person in the school."

Benji's face scrunched up into a scowl. Anastasia could see the heated glares Millie was throwing her way. Even though she knew Millie and Benji and their friends were trying to get a rise out of her, Anastasia tried her best to keep herself calm.

"I'd think it'd be best if you apologized to Millie," Benji said, taking a step toward Anastasia. "Clearly, everything that happened between the two of you was a misunderstanding."

Anastasia shook her head. "There was no misunderstanding, _Benji_ ," she drawled. "Your girlfriend's a bit of a bitch, and so are you. I'm not apologizing for what I did to her. I think she should apologize."

"What?" Benji seethed.

Millie let out a scoff, wincing as she placed her ice pack on her cheek.

Anastasia never broke eye contact with Benji, silently praying he didn't try something. Anastasia wasn't sure how many more times she would be allowed off the hook before she got kicked out of the school. So far, she was estimating on walking a thin line between staying in school and possibly being suspended or worse.

"Your girlfriend's a _chertovski suka_ ," Anastasia said. "Do you know what that means?"

Benji's hands clenched into fists.

"It's Russian for a fucking bitch," she snapped.

One of Benji's fists jolted out, giving Anastasia barely a second to move out of the way to avoid being punched. She mentally kicked herself for saying that. She wasn't supposed to cause a scene, but she ended up doing so. Benji's other arm shot out and wrapped around Anastasia's middle tightly, his other arm grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him. Before he could do anything else, Anastasia wiggled her face out of his hand and bit into his shoulder. She heard Benji let out a cry, his arm tightening for a second, only making her bite harder onto his shoulder. When she felt his arm loosen, she was about to stop when she started tasting something coppery in her mouth. The taste was strangely welcoming, but also odd.

Realizing what was happening, Anastasia immediately stopped biting Benji and stumbled back. She saw a red stain forming on his shirt, starting off as a bite-mark, but the more blood started coming out of the wound, the more terrified she became. Anastasia could still taste the blood on her tongue, and there was some kind of urge she was feeling to go get more.

Anastasia could see the terrified looks everyone was giving her. She hadn't even realized more people had gathered around them. Her heart was pounding painfully in her chest and it was getting harder to breathe. Before she even had a moment to react, Benji had punched her straight in the jaw, and she landed with her head landing painfully on the concrete ground below.

* * *

When Anastasia woke up, her head felt fuzzy and her body felt heavier. Her wrists and ankles felt constricted and she couldn't understand why. Blinking the bleariness out of her eyes, Anastasia looked around—she was in some kind of hospital room. There was an IV in her arm, but she wasn't hooked up to any kind of machinery. A wave of confusion swept through her.

"Anya, _vozlyublennaya_ , how are you feeling?" Anastasia looked over and saw her parents standing at the foot of her bed. They looked worried, and she couldn't understand why. Her father put a comforting hand on her knee. "Anya? How are you?"

"What happened?" Anastasia slurred.

" _Cariño_ , we're worried about you," Sofía said.

"What happened?" she rasped.

"We were told about that fight you were in," Andrei sighed. "You bit that young boy."

Anastasia swallowed thickly. Even though her throat felt dry like sandpaper, Anastasia swore she still tasted the blood. Anastasia's blue eyes lowered.

"What happened to him?" Anastasia rasped.

"The wounds were deep," her mother scolded. "He was properly attended to. What were you thinking?"

"I-I don't know," Anastasia murmured. "I just acted." Anastasia tried taking a deep breath, but it didn't feel right. It felt...different. It wasn't a natural feeling.

The door opened to the room she was in and a doctor walked in.

"Ah, Anastasia," he said cheerfully. "How are you feeling?"

Anastasia shook her head. "I don't know." The doctor looked at her. "I feel weird."

"How so?" the doctor asked.

She simply shook her head.

" _Cariño_ , you must tell him what's wrong."

Anastasia looked at her parents, who were standing anxiously, glancing between their daughter and the doctor.

"I can't breathe," Anastasia said slowly, "and I can't feel my heart beating."

The doctor shot a smile Anastasia's way, and it didn't take much for her to know it was a fake smile.

"That's just the medication," he chirped. "You'll be feeling better in no time. Your parents told me you're on a special medication, for some kind of rare condition."

Anastasia nodded.

"Well, because of your...accident, I'm going to subscribe an increase in the dosage." He scribbled something on a piece of paper. "But, I believe your parents have something to tell you." Smiling at Andrei and Sofía, the doctor gave a firm nod. "I'll leave the three of you."

"What?" Anastasia looked at her parents anxiously.

"One of the doctors had suggested that we send you to a group home," Anastasia's father sighed. "I believe he said it's in Buffalo."

"A group home?" Anastasia rasped.

"Something about a zero-tolerance policy," her mother sighed.

"I didn't mean to hurt him!" Anastasia cried. "I didn't want to cause any trouble."

" _Uspokoysya_ , we know," Andrei comforted. "You'll be there for a couple weeks, once you're better, you'll be brought home, OK?"

"Papa, you can't think I'm OK with this!" Anastasia cried. " _You_ can't be OK with this!

"I can't get you out of this one, Anya." Andrei shot an apologetic look his daughter's way. "You _have_ to go."

"What's this place called?" she asked, her voice lowered to a whisper.

"Lyle House," her mother said.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry it took so long to put up, I got distracted by responsibilities. Hopefully you guys liked this chapter! Let me know what you guys think, I always love reading reviews on what you guys think.**

 **All the Russian and Spanish used in this chapter I got from Google Translate. If it's wrong in any way, let me know.**

 _ **Uspokoysya**_ **—Russian for 'calm down'.**

 **I believe in another chapter I had Anastasia's father say 'milaya', that's Russian for 'sweetie'.**

 ** _Chertovski suka_** **—Russian for 'fucking bitch'.**

 ** _Cariño_** **—Spanish for 'sweetie'.**

 ** _Vozlyublennaya_** **—Russian for 'sweetheart'.**

 **Like I said, all the Russian and Spanish in this chapter I got from Google Translate, let me know if it's wrong in any way!**

 **I don't own the Darkest Powers series, all the characters and whatnot go to Kelley Armstrong, I only own Anastasia, her family, and the fillers I put in. I might weave in some of the storyline from the books into this story, I haven't decided! Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	4. Chapter 4

**3**

Lyle House, a white Victorian styled house on an unnecessarily sized lot with a wraparound porch. It wasn't what Anastasia had in mind, that much was certain. Before leaving the hospital, Anastasia had been given a pill that made her drowsy. The trip to the group home didn't seem so long after that. Two women stood at the entrance of the house—an older, grandmotherly looking woman and a younger woman who had a face that read she wasn't up for any kind of crap these kids would pull.

When Anastasia got out of her parents' car, she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to ease the discomfort she was feeling.

The older woman introduced herself as Mrs. Talbot, a nurse. The younger woman didn't say anything. Mrs. Talbot gave Anastasia and her parents a tour of the house, her voice cheerful and chirping annoyingly.

Anastasia was hardly paying attention to what Talbot was saying, she wasn't interested. In Anastasia's opinion, she hadn't done anything wrong—she was defending herself against Benji and Millie. But the school didn't see it that way. That zero-tolerance policy—if Anastasia didn't get some kind of help, she'd have what she did to Benji on record.

"This will be Anastasia's room," Talbot chirped.

A white and yellow bedroom, so clean—so _sterile_ —Anastasia felt her lip curl up in disgust. It was obviously a room she was supposed to share with someone, but there was no one else in the room.

"There aren't any available roommates at the moment," Talbot sighed. "She's the most recent to join Lyle House."

* * *

Anastasia sat on the edge of her bed. Her parents had been led out of her room, her luggage was placed at the foot of her bed. Talbot said her parents would be able to visit after she had a couple days to adjust. How was she supposed to adjust to a house that reeked of lemon cleaner? The house felt so clean it was nauseating.

Laying down on her bed, Anastasia sighed. How many other kids were there? Were their conditions bad?

She sighed.

* * *

Anastasia awoke to a knock on her door. She didn't remember falling asleep.

"Anastasia?" a voice called. Talbot's. "It's time for breakfast."

Rubbing her face, Anastasia let out a sigh. She didn't even realize she slept through the remainder of the day before. She must've been more exhausted than she thought. Slowly getting out of bed, Anastasia let out another sigh. Looking down at herself, Anastasia's brows furrowed. She was in her pajamas—boxer shorts and an oversized T-shirt. She had no recollection of changing into her pajamas. Letting out a frustrated curse, Anastasia shuffled out of bed and was about to look for a change of clothes when another knock rasped at her door. Opening it, she saw Talbot standing there.

* * *

Being convinced out of changing into different clothes, Anastasia was led down to the dining room where breakfast would be held. Anastasia frowned at the sight of the girls who were sitting at the dining room table. A blonde girl talking happily to a short haired girl. There was a copper-skinned girl with dark curls sitting further away from the other two. Beside the copper-skinned girl was another blonde with red streaks in her hair, the girl being tiny and skinny with big blue eyes.

"Go have a seat," Talbot ushered, "breakfast will be ready in a couple minutes."

When Anastasia found a seat, a silence hung in the air when the others noticed her.

"You must be the other new girl," the blonde who had been talking earlier exclaimed. "I'm Liz. _Just_ Liz! It's short for Elizabeth, but I like Liz better."

Anastasia felt a little taken aback by Liz's friendliness, but nodded in return.

"Are you just going to sit there, or are you going to tell us your name?" the short haired girl snapped.

"Why don't you give her a chance to open her mouth, Victoria?" the copper-skin girl exclaimed.

Victoria shot a heated glare Rachelle's way.

"Anastasia. My name's Anastasia." Looking at the girls with a slightly irritated frown, Anastasia leaned back in her seat, trying to get herself comfortable.

"That's a pretty name," Liz chirped. "Don't you think, Tori?"

Tori only scoffed in response.

"It's a nice name," Rachelle said. "You can call me Rae. This is Chloe, she's new here, too." Rae nodded to the blonde with the red highlights beside her.

Anastasia gave a slight wave in Chloe's direction, she gave a shy wave back.

* * *

What Anastasia didn't like was that before they ate, that younger woman who had been with Mrs. Talbot earlier—Miss Van Dop—gave them all pills. Anastasia had had her fill of pills before going to Lyle House, and the sight of the pill in her hand made her scowl. Miss Van Dop said that the doctor will explain everything soon, and that Anastasia should take the medication anyway. So she did.

When the time came for breakfast to come to a close for them, they all went upstairs to their rooms to get dressed.

"After we're done with breakfast, that's when the guys come down to have theirs," Rae said.

Anastasia's brows furrowed. "There're guys here?"

"Simon, Peter and Derek." Rae shrugged nonchalantly. "The guys have their own hall, they want to keep us separate."

"I wouldn't have thought this place was coed."

"I thought the same thing," Chloe murmured.

"Though I doubt _Victoria_ would follow those rules," Rae muttered bitterly. Anastasia's eyes narrowed slightly at how angrily Rae said Tori's name. She wasn't sure why they disliked each other so intensely—though Anastasia could guess it had something to do with Tori's snotty attitude—but chose not to voice anything on it. "She's got dibs on Simon—if you ask me, they're perfect for each other."

Anastasia frowned.

"They're both divas," Rae murmured, eyeing Tori with a slight scowl. "Simon keeps telling her _'no'_ , but Tori keeps going after him."

Anastasia gave a soft hum.

Rae let out a humorless chuckle. "You probably don't care about any of this," she said, throwing an apologetic smile Anastasia's way. "First day here and you're already getting the gossip. But if you're looking for advice, here's what _I've_ got to say: Derek's a jerk, so if you bump into him don't get offended if he ignores you. He knows he's a jerk, so I guess it doesn't make it that bad. Simon's Derek's brother, and like I said, Simon's a diva but he'll be nice if he has to. I've never really talked to Peter, so I can't really say how I feel about him." Rae grabbed Anastasia's arm and pulled her aside for a moment, looking around to make sure no one was around except for them and Chloe. "Once you start your therapy sessions with Dr. Gill—yeah, we all have to go—she'll throw a label on you and tell you not to tell anyone because of secrecy crap," Rae whispered. "Take the meds they give you, make it seem like you're improving, even if it feels like you're not. Suck up to them. Tell them what they want to hear and try your best to make it seem like the meds are working. You'll get out quicker."

Anastasia thought it over. If she could convince the nurses and other officials at Lyle House that she was improving, then she'd get out quicker? How quick, though? Apparently, she was supposed to be at Lyle House for at least three weeks. But Rae seemed to know what she was talking about, considering she'd been in the group home a lot longer than she had.

"I'll keep that in mind," Anastasia murmured.

* * *

After getting dressed, Anastasia had the honor of being given the schedule Lyle House ran by. Up by 7:30; eat, shower, dress and in class by 9:00, doing independent work that was assigned by their teachers; break at 10:30 for a nutritious snack; back to class until noon, where the kids would have their lunch, then back to class until 1:00 to 4:30 with a break at 2:30. At any given time, the student would be taken out of class for their therapy session with Dr. Gill. The schedule went on and on and Anastasia had to shake her head.

They loved their schedules, Anastasia could figure out that much.

Along with Lyle House's schedule, Talbot had given Anastasia a chore list.

"You'll be helping prepare lunch," Talbot chirped. Since Anastasia's information from her teachers hadn't been transferred over, she didn't need to bother going to class. Until then, though, she'd have to do her chores.

So, Talbot led Anastasia to the kitchen so she could slice some vegetables.

It was only fifteen minutes after Talbot left that Anastasia felt as if something was approaching the kitchen. Her shoulders stiffened, but she didn't stop her task.

"They got you on slicing duty?" a voice whispered, a soft chuckle just underneath.

Turning slightly, Anastasia saw a boy with short, messy dark blonde hair and brown, almond shaped eyes. He had to be a couple inches taller than Anastasia, and had a charming smile on his face.

"You're Anastasia, right?" he whispered. Anastasia's gaze was unwavering. "I'm not supposed to be in here, but you know..." He nodded to the pantry. "I'm Simon."

 _This_ _is Simon?_ Anastasia thought. _He certainly doesn't look like a diva._

Simon went into the pantry and came out with a whole box of granola bars.

"Isn't there one already opened?" Anastasia asked.

A smile spread across Simon's face. "Yeah, but, I don't think he'd want that one."

Anastasia's eyes drifted over Simon's shoulder. Her heart jumped into her throat at the sight of the figure behind him. He had to be at least six feet, maybe a little over; his shoulders looked like they were almost as wide as the door.

"This is my brother, Derek," Simon murmured, smiling over at the tall figure. Anastasia could see Derek's emerald green eyes were covered by his black, lanky hair. She could see the acne dotting his face.

"Oh," she murmured.

"We done?" Derek rumbled, taking the box of granolas from Simon.

Simon threw an almost apologetic look Anastasia's way. "I'll see you around," he whispered, hurrying after his brother.

Anastasia's gaze stayed where Simon and Derek had been. She let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry if this chapter's sloppy and/or rushed. I was trying to figure out a way to incorporate the characters in this chapter. Let me know if I got the characters right!**

 **I don't own anything in the 'Darkest Powers' trilogy! Kelley Armstrong owns her characters and plots, whatever's left belongs to me.**

 **I'd love to thank ThatIndieGirl for leaving a review! I appreciate your help on this story and the use of Russian in my previous chapter[s].**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	5. Chapter 5

**4**

Lunchtime. Nutritional, none of the kids having to take medication—much to Anastasia's relief—and probably more awkward than breakfast. Liz and Tori were talking quietly to each other, Chloe and Rae didn't show up, Peter was playing some game that served as some kind of background noise, and Anastasia couldn't stop herself from noticing how Derek was deeply inhaling his food. Anastasia picked at her food, not entirely hungry.

"Anastasia, are you from around here?" Simon asked.

"No." She nibbled a little at her food. "If you mean Buffalo, I'm not."

"Where're you from?"

"I've lived in Manhattan since I was little," she murmured. "I'm from Syracuse originally."

Anastasia took note to how Derek stiffened and Simon shot a quick look his brother's way. Derek's gaze went to hers for a moment, as if calculating what he was going to do. Simon threw a charming smile Anastasia's way, interrupting whatever Derek was going to say.

"Manhattan, huh? I don't think we've ever been there, right, bro?" He nudged Derek, who only snorted in response.

 _They're hiding something,_ she thought.

"Did you travel around a lot?"

Anastasia nodded. Because of the career her father had, they had to move around a lot. But they finally managed to settle in Manhattan, and the peace of having a new home obviously didn't last long.

So, Anastasia listened while Simon told stories of the worst moves he ever experienced. She'd nod, put in a few words, but settle for just letting Simon talk it out. Anastasia wasn't much of a social-butterfly whenever she was thrown into a setting she wasn't familiar with.

When Simon finally finished his stories, his silence implied he was wondering about Anastasia's worst moves.

"I had to move to Russia for a couple months," she muttered. She kind of enjoyed living in Russia, it gave her a chance to bond more with her father. Andrei was proud of his Russian roots, telling Anastasia all the history and wonders of his home-country. Anastasia briefly explained what it was like living in Russia, moving to her father's childhood home in Omsk. Anastasia could see that Simon looked interested in what she was saying, but she had to wonder if he really cared. Rae did say he was just as much of a diva as Tori.

"Who cares about Russia?" Tori snapped, interrupting Anastasia. "You're just an anchor baby, let's quit talking about this."

Anastasia shot a look Tori's way. She had heard plenty of names from people when finding out her parents weren't Americans. Not only did she have to deal with insults, she got asked all kinds of stupid questions—was she apart of the Russian Mafia? Was she raised a Communist? Was she really born in America, cause _'Anastasia'_ wasn't an American name. After being asked those questions for the millionth time, she'd just ignore them.

"Tori, why don't you back off?" Simon said, his voice tensing.

"Why should I?" Tori shot a heated glare Anastasia's way. "No one cares about Russia, or whatever crap she was talking about. Honestly, no one cares."

"Stop," Liz said, putting a hand on Tori's shoulder.

"No, it's fine." Anastasia threw a small smile Liz's way. "I've dealt with people who are worse than her. She's not important."

Anastasia could see the slight flinch from Tori.

* * *

After lunch, and since Anastasia still hadn't gotten word from her teachers, everyone else went to their classes while Anastasia was stuck on washing clothes. Rae and Chloe had done the girls' clothes, leaving Anastasia to do whatever was left. By the time she reached the laundry room, though, Chloe was just about to leave.

"Don't you have classes?" Anastasia asked.

"No," Chloe sighed, not after jumping two feet at the sound of Anastasia's voice. "I should be going to classes soon, though."

"Rae said that this place loves its labels." Anastasia threw a slightly cautious frown Chloe's way. "What did they give you?"

Chloe seemed a little uncertain about the question, her big, blue eyes looking down for a moment.

"I won't tell anyone. It's not like I have very many people to talk to here anyway."

"They're saying I'm schizophrenic."

"Schizophrenia, huh?" Anastasia's brows furrowed. Mental illnesses? If they thought Anastasia had some sort of mental illness, that had to be wrong, right? She didn't _feel_ mentally ill, but if she could just go and _enjoy_ biting a person and the taste of their blood, maybe there _was_ something wrong with her. Enjoying the taste of someone else's blood wasn't normal. But what about that other _'special medical condition'_ she had? No one _ever_ talked about that. _Anastasia_ didn't even know what she had, and she's the one taking all the medications. "That doesn't sound too bad," she murmured.

"Visual and auditory hallucinations? Sounds pretty bad to me."

"It could be worse."

"How?"

Anastasia shrugged. "What about the others?"

"I-I don't know if I..."

"Honestly, Chloe, does it look like I'm the gossiping type?" Anastasia threw a dry look the blonde girl's way.

"Well, uh, Liz told me Tori's here because she's moody, Rae has pyromania, and I'm not entirely sure on what Simon or Derek have." Chloe shifted where she stood. "Rae says Simon doesn't go to therapy, but Derek goes more than anyone." She shrugged. "I don't know what's wrong with Liz. If being nice is a mental illness, I'd prefer that over being schizo."

The corners of Anastasia's lips turned up in a small smile, but the words on Simon and Derek sunk in. "That's weird, about Simon and Derek."

Chloe gave another shrug. "I'd like to know why that is. Rae, too. It doesn't make a lot of sense."

Anastasia shrugged, continuing with the laundry. "Sorry for keeping up your time," she sighed. "Maybe next time we talk, it won't be over stuff like this."

Giving a small smile, Chloe nodded before leaving the laundry room.

There was something about Lyle House that didn't make much sense.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter! Sorry it took so long to put up, I've been really bad at doing that with my stories. I promise I'll try and do better! Let me know what you guys think of the story so far, we're only 5 chapters in, but I'd like to have some constructive criticism. Am I getting the characters right? How's Anastasia's development coming along?**

 **Nothing in the 'Darkest Powers' trilogy belongs to me, all of that belongs to Kelley Armstrong! I do own my characters and fillers.**

 **If you guys have any suggestions on future chapters, let me know! I love it when reviewers leave their own suggestions on what they hope should happen.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	6. Chapter 6

**5**

After Anastasia finished with the laundry, she left the laundry room and went back upstairs. Since she couldn't think of anything else to do—and it seemed like the nurses were busy doing something else—Anastasia opted for just wandering around, trying to familiarize herself with Lyle House without the constant annoyance of the overly cheerfulness of Talbot.

The house overall was nice enough—clean and big, looking more like a place someone's grandmother would live in. Anastasia couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something standoffish about the place, like they were trying _too_ hard to make it look comfortable. It was unsettling.

"Planning an escape?" Anastasia turned and saw Miss Van Dop standing behind her.

"No."

A look swept across Van Dop's face. "I understand this is all a bit much to take in, but you have to know we're doing this for your best interest."

 _That's supposed to be reassuring?_ Anastasia thought dryly.

"We want you to know that whatever problems you have aren't your fault," Van Dop continued. "We have the proper personnel for whatever you're going through. We have the proper medication to help you live as normally as possible. I won't sugarcoat everything like Talbot, it's important you know what we're doing here."

Anastasia studied Van Dop for a moment. She had a feeling that there was just a bit of information being kept from her, but she knew better than to pry. So she simply nodded.

 _'Take the meds they give you, make it seem like you're improving, even if you're not. Suck up to them. Tell them what they want to hear and make it seem like the meds are working.'_

That had been Rae's advice to her. Whatever condition they were going to throw on Anastasia, she had to suck it up and fake her way out of the group home.

Could she really do something like that?

* * *

After Van Dop's little pep talk on Lyle House, Anastasia shuffled her way to the kitchen. She'd been assigned to help prepare for the afternoon snack. Again, that required peeling. Making her way through the dining room, Anastasia's gaze was greeted with Derek's looming figure hunched over some work splayed out on the table. He lifted his head slightly to watch Anastasia as she walked by. Something twisted in her gut as his green eyes seemed to follow her, even when he lowered his head. She didn't really expect him to give any sign of acknowledgement.

 _'Derek's a jerk, so if you bump into him don't get offended if he ignores you.'_

Rae had been right about that. There was a bit of an attitude when it came to Derek, as if he couldn't be bothered to be around anyone besides Simon. As if every other person there was just some insignificant annoyance.

So when she finally made it to the kitchen, she hadn't felt so relieved in her life. There was something in Derek's eyes that suggested he probably knew something about her, probably something she didn't know about. The one thing Anastasia couldn't stand was when people knew things about her and refused to tell.

The ingredients for whatever snack Talbot was planning on preparing had been laid out on the kitchen counter. Anastasia found the peeler and began peeling away on what she needed to do.

 _These three weeks better fly by,_ she thought solemnly. _I don't know how I'm expected to stay in a place that's so weird._

She sighed.

 _Honestly, what was I expecting? A bunch of doped up kids? Barred windows and security around every corner?_ Anastasia rolled her eyes. She wasn't one to jump to conclusions about things, but after finding out the group home she was living in was for kids with mental illnesses, that far too imaginative part of herself immediately started thinking up all these scenarios on what would've happened if Lyle House was for the seriously mentally ill. Doped up patients muttering to themselves, nurses with syringes handy at all costs, all kinds of creepy doctors—Anastasia would've laughed at how stupid her imagination got sometimes.

After what felt like a lifetime of silence, Talbot scurried into the kitchen to tell Anastasia that snack time was approaching in the next couple minutes and Anastasia needed to wrap up, before adding that Dr. Gill wanted to meet with her after snacks.

"I think she's trying too soon to see you, but she thinks it's for the best."

* * *

By the time the snacks were finished and everyone was grudgingly going back to their class, Anastasia was led to Dr. Gill's office. Anastasia had to restrict herself from scowling at the woman. Dr. Gill had a long, pointed nose with eyes that couldn't stop bulging out of her head.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Anastasia," she said formally. Her bulging eyes were watching Anastasia's movements to the very millimeter, as if the slightest movement would confirm whatever she was about to say.

She simply nodded in return.

"I know this may be a bit soon, since you've hardly been here long," Dr. Gill said, "but I wanted you to have an understanding—a better understanding, hopefully—on what happens here." Dr. Gill went on to explain pretty much what Anastasia had to hear Van Dop say earlier, only in a more sophisticated sense. Each person had a problem they were working to overcome, the medication is a stepping stone to help make life easier, therapy helps clear everything up and makes everything less complicated. Anastasia made sure she nodded and looked interested. "Anastasia, how familiar are you with bipolar?" Dr. Gill concluded.

"I'm sorry?" Anastasia said curtly.

"Bipolar—more notably, bipolar two." Gill's face continued studying Anastasia, keeping track of how she reacted.

"You guys think I have bipolar?" Anastasia snapped. "I've barely been here _one day_ and you're already slapping a label on me?"

Gill's lips pursed. "Bipolar isn't a label," she said firmly, "and we're not _'slapping'_ it on you. The doctors at the hospital you were at did an evaluation—they crossed out every possible issue, the only one remaining seeming to be bipolar two."

Anastasia scowled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Do you know what it is?"

"Mood swings," Anastasia snapped.

Gill sighed. "It's more than that," she said firmly. "It's typically seen as having less-intense elevated moods—hypomania—than bipolar one, but suffer more often from manic depression. If bipolar is left untreated, those who suffer from it deal more with the depression than the hypomania."

Anastasia let out a disbelieving laugh. "You guys think I have severe mood swings?" If she could get any angrier at that moment...

"Like I said, Anastasia, I know this is being said too soon, but the doctors ruled out every possible outcome." Dr. Gill tried shooting a look that seemed apologetic or sympathetic. "We thought it'd be best if you knew now rather than later."

Anastasia bit her tongue, holding back a sarcastic remark. _They sure are eager to throw a label on you._ Her eyes narrowed. But, like Rae advised, she'd act like she was willing to improve if it meant getting out quicker.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry if this chapter seemed a little weak! I was trying to think of something, but I couldn't. Just let me know what you think!**

 **I don't own anything in the 'Darkest Powers' universe, all that belongs to Kelley Armstrong. I'll forever own my characters and my fillers!**

 **Hopefully you guys well at least tolerate this chapter! If there's anything you think I could improve on, let me know! I'm always up for constructive criticism.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	7. Chapter 7

**6**

Anastasia was seething. Barely _one day_ at Lyle House and they already threw a label on her. Rae hadn't been lying when she said they loved their labels. Anastasia didn't think they'd love it _that_ much.

 _Bipolar._ She scoffed. She didn't feel bipolar—all those times she lashed out at other students was because they were hassling her. She was defending herself! But no one saw it that way. They only saw the weird, _misfit_ girl attacking other students for no reason— _biting_ them for no reason.

 _If they really think I'm bipolar, I'll give them bipolar._ The thought had crossed Anastasia's mind since she stepped out of Dr. Gill's office. Her mood wasn't too out-of-control. For certain people, she acted normally; other than that, she ignored anyone else. A simple routine that she followed.

One that, apparently, seemed to under the belief that it was bipolar.

* * *

"You look upset, girl." Rae had stationed herself, with Chloe, in one of the rooms Anastasia was occupying. Rae was working on homework with Chloe's help, but they were talking more than they were working.

Anastasia shrugged.

"Did you meet Gill already?" Rae pressed. "I thought I heard Tori saying something about you leaving her office. I'm not really one to believe what _Queen Victoria_ has to say, but..."

"Yeah," Anastasia said shortly.

Rae nodded, leaning back in her chair. Chloe looked between the two of them carefully, her blue eyes mixed with confusion and anticipation.

"What'd they give you?" Rae said, a roll of her eyes showing how ridiculous she found it.

"Bipolar."

A snort from Rae. "That's what they gave Victoria, from what I hear." Rae gave another unladylike snort. "She's the queen of meds, too. Gets doped up just to please everyone. The moment she runs out of meds"—Rae snapped her fingers—"she'll throw a tantrum, just like that. Calls her Mom and has _her_ deal with it. Happened once, not too long before you newbies showed up."

"Seriously?" Chloe asked.

"I'm dead serious." Rae shook her head, almost out of pity. "It was a nightmare! She screamed for someone to get her more medicine then locked herself in her room and refused to come out until she got some."

"Sounds like _Tori_ has bipolar," Anastasia muttered.

"You don't seem really moody," Chloe said.

Anastasia shrugged. "I get moody sometimes, but it's never like this."

"Just remember what I said," Rae exclaimed. "I've been here a while, but I'm doing what I've been told so I can get outta here."

* * *

After a while, Rae was taken into a therapy session and Chloe had to go off and do her chores. Anastasia was left by herself. Talbot had told her she could go outside for a little bit of _'exercise'_ , but the backyard wasn't exactly big enough for _anyone_ to get decent exercise.

So, Anastasia settled for mindlessly bouncing a basketball around for a couple minutes, trying to make it look like she was being really active. She threw the basketball into the hoop a couple times, but settled more for bouncing it.

"You've got a good arm." Turning, Anastasia saw Simon walking out the back door. There was that charming smile on his face, making Anastasia resist curling her lip up in slight annoyance. Simon seemed nice enough, but the charm he put out was one she couldn't quite stand. "You ever play?"

She shook her head.

Simon's smile widened. "You don't really say much, do you?" he chuckled. "That's fine. Derek's the same way. He won't talk to anyone unless he really has to."

"Is that supposed to mean anything to me?" Anastasia drawled.

Simon shrugged. "I think I should apologize for how Tori was acting earlier."

"Tori's fully capable of apologizing herself." Anastasia held the basketball in her hands, eyeing Simon carefully. "Though I doubt she's going to anytime soon."

"No, what she said was rude." Any charm or happiness that was forced into Simon's voice was gone. "She's been treating Chloe the same way. Always insulting her, embarrassing her, making her feel unwanted. She shouldn't do that." He gave his head a sharp shake. "I'd talk to Tori myself, but she'd completely ignore what I'd have to say."

"It doesn't matter," Anastasia sighed. "I've dealt with people worse than her."

Simon gave a humorless chuckle. "Well, I certainly didn't come out here to talk about Tori."

Anastasia hummed in response.

Holding his hands up, Anastasia threw the basketball over to him. She watched with disinterest as he bounced the ball and threw it in the hoop. Anastasia couldn't find any reason for Simon being outside with her, whether he knew of her being out there or not.

"Don't tell anyone I told you this—especially Derek, he'd flip out—but Derek's been keeping an eye on you," Simon said in a low voice, as if he were scared of someone overhearing.

Anastasia's brows furrowed. A bubble of discomfort and anger simmered in the pit of her stomach. "He's been _watching_ me?" she seethed. "For what? I haven't done anything. I've barely been here long enough _to do_ anything."

Simon shrugged, easing back a little. "That's just how he is. Always keeping an eye on people he thinks are..."

"Are _what_?" she snapped.

"Hey, I'm not here to start trouble," Simon exclaimed. "I'm just letting you know ahead of time. There's something about you he finds interesting."

Anastasia scoffed. "If you ask me, he sounds like a real _freak_." She crossed her arms over her chest, a scowl settling on her face.

Any lightheartedness or cautious humor on Simon's face vanished. "As I'm sure you've heard, Derek's not much of a social butterfly, but that doesn't mean he's a bad guy." There was a firmness in Simon's voice that mildly caught Anastasia's attention. "He's not doing this because he's a weirdo, or because he gets some kind of sick kick out of it. Derek's really smart, and when he notices something in someone else, he'll pay attention. I wasn't trying to offend you." _But don't insult my brother,_ Anastasia picked up on that.

Anastasia let out an unladylike snort.

"So I should just let him do what he wants?" Anastasia muttered, eyeing Simon with a hint of anger in her eyes.

Simon thought it over before giving a careful nod. "He'll probably be pissed, but—go along with it. Act like you don't know anything. If anything, once he finds out he'll probably just give me the cold shoulder."

"And I'll probably get my fair share, too."

Simon shrugged. "Give it some time, try and see how it'll play out. Derek's smart, so he may catch on quickly."

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the delay! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, let me know what you think, if I got the characters wrong in any way let me know, if you've got suggestions on future updates leave a review or PM me.**

 **I own absolutely nothing in the 'Darkest Powers' universe. I will own my characters and my fillers, everything else belongs to Kelley Armstrong.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	8. Chapter 8

**7**

Soon, the days started to slowly roll by and Anastasia found herself begrudgingly falling into the routine of Lyle House. Since they _'diagnosed'_ her with bipolar so early on, they were quick to give her antidepressants, antipsychotics, and medicine that was supposed to _'stabilize her moods'_. From what Dr. Gill had said, they needed to be fully prepared for anything that could happen. Not only that though, but Dr. Gill still wanted Anastasia to continue with the medication she took before coming to Lyle House—for whatever medical condition that was too top secret for her to know about.

But just because things were rolling smoothly at first, didn't mean it lasted very long.

Liz ended up getting transferred not even a day and a half after Anastasia moved in. Apparently, she threw a pencil at one of the tutors and almost took her eye out. Then that night, she cut Chloe's leg after completely destroying their room.

Since then, what happened that day had been the talk of Lyle House. Tori had been devastated at the loss of her friend and spent most of her time locked away in her room. The nurses could've cared less.

Anastasia had been told that the nurses didn't like it when one of the kids isolated themselves—they wanted everyone to interact and do their part.

In Anastasia's mind, she found that rule to be a little ridiculous. Having to constantly interact and be around the others all the time was exhausting—a little alone time wouldn't hurt anyone.

But that was just Anastasia's opinion.

* * *

"You seem quieter than usual." Anastasia looked over at Chloe. It was true. The little blonde hadn't uttered a single word since coming into the kitchen. Since Anastasia's teachers still hadn't sent over her work, she was confined to doing chores while everyone else went to classes. Apparently Chloe's teachers were still holding out on her work, too.

Chloe and Anastasia had a relatively respectful relationship. They weren't best friends, but they were a little more than acquaintances. It was more of a they'll-acknowledge-each-other's-presence-whenever-they-were-near-each-other kind of relationship.

Chloe shrugged.

"Chloe, if there's something bothering you, I don't mind listening." It was true, Anastasia had a tendency to be a good listener when people were going through rough patches. Anyone who had the decency to go out of their way to befriend Anastasia knew that. Since Anastasia never really spoke if she had to, she knew to keep her mouth shut, something else people who truly knew her appreciated. She wouldn't go gossiping about their problems.

"I just...I don't know if I should..."

"Are you still shaken up about Liz leaving?" Anastasia shot a glance down at Chloe. Chloe's blue eyes seemed distant, too distant. Anastasia had to wonder what really happened that night. "It's fine if you are. It's kinda sad, really. Liz seemed really nice."

"She was—is." Chloe sighed, frowning deeply. "I don't really wanna talk about it."

"That's fine, too."

* * *

When Chloe and Anastasia went their separate ways, Anastasia was going to go ask Talbot if she could go outside for a little bit. Being holed up in the house for most of the day made her feel a little claustrophobic. Once Talbot put in the code to disable the security system, Anastasia muttered her thanks and shuffled outside.

Finding the basketball she normally used to distract herself with, Anastasia started bouncing it.

Anastasia normally only went outside when she needed to think and didn't want to get distracted by the others. It's not that she didn't enjoy their company—just to be fair, she didn't particularly like Tori and could really care less about Simon or Derek—it's just that Anastasia felt like she needed moments to just think over everything that's been happening.

Since Liz's transfer, none of the nurses have mentioned her. No talks about when it would be a good time to call, where Liz was transferred to, or if there was a chance of her coming back. It was like they just tossed her out like trash.

That was something Anastasia found strange.

Did Liz's family know she'd been transferred?

Despite Anastasia not having known Liz _that_ well, she was still polite and friendly toward her. Probably one of the only genuinely nice people at Lyle House aside from Chloe and Rae.

For a brief moment, Anastasia didn't notice there was someone else out with her until she noticed a shadow looming behind her. Letting out surprised shriek, Anastasia threw the basketball at whoever was behind her, narrowly missing Derek's head.

His signature scowl deepened as he dodged it.

Anastasia tried calming herself down. She had been so distracted by her own thoughts—by the weirdness of Lyle House—that she hadn't noticed Derek watching her. She vaguely remembered Simon saying Derek was keeping an eye on her, and she tried to keep the shiver of displeasure from running up her spine.

"You could at least _say_ something before you sneak up on someone." Anastasia crossed her arms over her chest. In the days she spent at Lyle House, Derek made no attempt to actually confront her on anything. He kept his distance and she appreciated that.

He gave a snort.

"Well, if you don't have anything to say, I'm going inside." Trying to brush past him, Anastasia stiffened when he grabbed her upper arm. Normally, Anastasia had no problem confronting guys who were twice her size—she had a history of doing that when she'd be at school—but in Derek's case, it was different. There was something about him that made her gut twist. He looked like he could be as tall as an adult and for someone who's still a teenager he looked _way_ too fit. For Anastasia, something else had to be going on with him. Not to mention his _really_ green eyes always seemed to pierce right through you. It was like he always knew something you didn't.

"I need to talk to you about something," he muttered, his voice no lower than a gravelly rumble.

Anastasia's blue eyes looked into his eyes. He must've seen whatever look was on her face because he let go of her arm.

"What is so important that you need to corner me outside?" she said, trying to keep her voice even.

Before Derek could say anything else, Talbot called for Anastasia to come back inside.

* * *

"Your Uncle's here to see you," Talbot chirped. "We told your parents that you'd need a few days to adjust, but I guess your Uncle just couldn't wait to see you."

Despite Anastasia's relief at being taken away from whatever Derek was trying to do, she still frowned. Anastasia had only met her Uncle once in her life, and that was when she was little. Her mother said that when she and her brother, Ari, had immigrated to America from Cuba, they sort of fell out of contact. Something about personal differences.

At the front of the house, Anastasia was greeted with the charismatic smile of her Uncle.

* * *

Ari Vazquez put up his best smile when he saw his niece. It'd been years since he saw her last, and seeing her grown up made his heart swell. But there was a bit of sadness knowing she was stuck in such an environment. Since he and Sofía hadn't seen each other in many years, he didn't really get to spend a lot of time with Anastasia, which he really wanted to do.

"You've grown up so much since I've seen you last, _novio_ ," Ari exclaimed.

An awkward smile came across Anastasia's face.

"Thank you so much for your help," Ari told Talbot. "She'll be back before you know it."

* * *

Ari ended up taking Anastasia to a little restaurant only half an hour from Lyle House. It wasn't too crowded, either, which was nice.

"I know it must be weird seeing me after all these years," Ari said with a shrug. "Your mother's very stubborn. Your parents don't really know I'm here."

Anastasia didn't say anything. She wasn't sure what to say.

"Your mother did tell me you have some sort of rare medical condition." Anastasia looked up at her Uncle with a hard look in her eyes. "Did she ever tell you what it is?" When Anastasia didn't answer, Ari leaned back in his seat, eyeing his niece carefully. "It's a hereditary condition, though I wouldn't call it a _'condition'_. Your mother has it, so does your father. It's considered to be very rare. Very few people around the globe are born with it."

"What are you talking about?" Anastasia muttered.

A knowing smirk came across Ari's face. "Our family genetics," he chuckled. "For most families, it's recessive. For others, it's not. When my parents—your grandparents—met, they went to a special fertility center specializing in this particular hereditary condition. The doctors said there'd be a fifty-fifty chance of at least _one_ of their children inheriting it. That ended up being your mother. I got the recessive."

"You're not making any sense."

"When your mother was pregnant with you and went into labor, she died in childbirth." Anastasia's blood ran cold. "She had a significant amount of blood loss." A knowing glint was in Ari's eyes. "She was brought back by doctors once you were out. She wasn't the same after that."

"What...?"

"Those pills you take for your _'special condition'_ , what color are they?"

"Red."

"What do they taste like?"

"Why does that matter?"

"It matters. What's it taste like?"

"Coppery."

Ari arched a brow at her. Anastasia was a smart girl, he knew that. But she'd been living the life of a Human. Even though he had, too, he still knew a lot more than she did.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the wait and if this chapter was sloppy! It's been a rough week. Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter! If I've been getting the characters wrong in any way, let me know. Any Spanish used in this chapter, I got it from Google Translate, so anyone who's fluent in Spanish, just let me know if I'm getting it wrong.**

 **Nothing in the DP universe belongs to me. All I own are my fillers and my characters.**

 **As for the whole what-Anastasia-truly-is-thing toward the end, I had been reading another one of Kelley Armstrong's books—a novella, I think it's called—a few months ago that pretty much describes what I'm trying to describe what Anastasia really is. It's called 'Hunting Kat'.**

 _ **A reminder to the reviewers**_ **: I know that whenever I update a new chapter, the previous chapter shows up for a little while. Some of you like to point that out when it happens. I know it's happening. I've let it slide before, but I would appreciate it if you guys wouldn't leave a review telling me I reposted the previous chapter. I know I did. It's temporary. Just let it go. I don't need constant reminders every time I update a chapter. I digress.**

 _Novio_ **: sweetheart in Spanish.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	9. Chapter 9

**8**

When Anastasia made it back to Lyle House, she was frustrated and confused. Her Uncle had been making absolutely no sense—her mother dying in childbirth? Anastasia's mother was still alive! What was that about some weird genetic problem? As far as Anastasia knew, she was the only person in her family who had some weird medical condition before bipolar was thrown in there. No one ever told her what she had, though...

A frustrated scowl had been plastered on her face from the moment she stepped through the front door.

* * *

Afternoon classes had ended and the other kids were either doing homework or finishing chores. Talbot was fixing up their typical nutritional dinner while Van Dop made sure to keep a close eye on them. Anastasia tried making herself look occupied, but her mind kept going back and forth on what her father said.

"You look genuinely pissed off."

Turning, Anastasia saw Simon standing behind her, smiling. Anastasia's scowled deepened. She wasn't in the mood for Simon.

"Look, I don't know what you want, but I'm not in the mood today," she exclaimed harshly.

A look swept across Simon's face.

Anastasia crossed her arms over her chest, sighing in frustration. "Sorry, OK?" she muttered. "I've been having a weird day."

"It happens." Simon shrugged.

"Doesn't explain why, all of a sudden, _you're_ here." Anastasia threw a look Simon's way.

"I needed to talk to you." Any kind of pleasantries in Simon's voice disappeared. "I need help with some homework, tell that to Talbot. She may not like it, but it'll work."

* * *

Just like Simon said, when Anastasia asked to go to Simon's room for studying, Talbot seemed hesitant but allowed her to go. Anastasia could only assume it was because Talbot wanted the boys and girls to remain separate.

By the time Anastasia made it to Simon's room, she was shifting awkwardly where she stood—not because she was nervous about being in a boy's room, but because Simon was the last person she wanted to be spending time with. After the incident with her Uncle, which still boggled her, Anastasia wanted to have a little time to process everything that happened.

Knocking on the door, Anastasia waited for an answer. When the door opened, she felt herself tense a little when Derek answered. His green eyes studied her carefully, almost like he was mapping out her movements.

"Simon told me he wanted to see me," she said dryly. "Something about homework."

Though his face remained neutral, nearly expressionless, Anastasia could see his eyes narrow just a _fraction_ , as if he were checking for some kind of lie behind her words.

"Ease up, bro." Simon squeezed his way to the doorway, slapping Derek on the shoulder with a smile. "I asked her to come, OK? It'll only be a little bit."

Derek let out what was presumed to be a disinterested grunt, carefully maneuvering around Anastasia and leaving the room. Anastasia couldn't help but watch to make sure he didn't return.

"Come on in," Simon exclaimed, stepping aside. "It's probably best that Derek left, I wanted to talk to you privately." The last part came out as a whisper, holding a seriousness that made Anastasia want to groan.

Going inside the bedroom, Anastasia crossed her arms over her chest. Simon kept the door partially opened, so it wouldn't look too suspicious.

"What's all this about?" Anastasia sighed. "I take it this has nothing to do with homework."

Simon shook his head. "It's something else," he sighed. "It's something I thought would be important for you to know."

"Well get on with it." Throwing her arms up in exasperation, Anastasia looked at Simon with an expectant gaze. "I've had a weird enough day as it is."

Studying her for a moment, Simon nodded slowly. "First, I wanted to ask if you could keep a close eye on Chloe." Anastasia's brows furrowed in confusion. "There was an incident in the basement." Simon rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Things happened that shouldn't have happened, and now they're keeping a close eye on Chloe...and Derek." Anastasia stiffened at that. "It's nothing too serious, though," Simon said, his gaze hardening. "Just keep an eye on her. I noticed how you talk to Chloe more than anyone else. Rae, too."

Thinking it over, Anastasia nodded slowly. "Fine, I'll keep that in mind."

Nodding, Simon let out an air of relief. "OK, the other things is that I think I have an idea on something."

"Something?"

A grimace spread across Simon's face. "Don't get pissed, but I might've looked through your file when you came here."

Anastasia's brows shot up, her eyes widening and her nostrils flaring. "You looked through my file?" she seethed.

"I was curious," he sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair. "I did the same with Chloe."

"And that's supposed to make me _feel_ better?" she exclaimed.

"Just hear me out, OK?" Simon held his hands up in surrender. "Your file says you have some kind of rare medical condition. There was a brief description—some rare, unheard of blood condition." Anastasia frowned. Blood condition? "You take special pills to help counteract it, right?" Anastasia nodded hesitantly. "Doesn't that seem a little odd to you? You've got some weird blood condition, and these pills _counteract_ it?"

"No one's ever told me what I have," she snapped, sounding almost defensive.

The grimace on Simon's face seemed to deepen. "Well, I think I might know what you _actually_ have, and it isn't some weird blood condition."

"What is it?" she exclaimed.

"It might sound crazy," Simon warned, holding his hands up in an almost defensive manner. "I don't expect you to believe me, OK?"

"We think you're a vampire," a deep rumble said. Derek stood at the doorway, looking between Simon and Anastasia with a look of irritation glittering in his eyes.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry it took so long to put this chapter up, but here it is! Let me know what you guys think! It's super important.**

 **If I got the characters wrong in any way, let me know and I will do my best to fix it, OK? As for the whole incident between Chloe and Derek, it's when Derek bruised her arm really bad. As I believe I mentioned before, this story will have bits and pieces of the series in it.**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe other than my characters and fillers. Everything else belongs to Kelley Armstrong.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	10. Chapter 10

**9**

Anastasia tried leaving Simon's room, but because of Derek's size, she couldn't. Shooting a heated glare, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Let me out," she snapped. "If I had known you'd both be this crazy, I wouldn't have agreed to come up here."

"Whoa," Simon exclaimed. "We're not crazy—listen, what we're telling you is true."

Anastasia's glare was thrown Simon's way. "You've _got_ to be kidding me," she barked. " _Vampires_? You might as well tell me _werewolves_ and _witches_ are real, too." Rolling her eyes, Anastasia was hoping Derek would get out of her way. But when she looked back at him, she noticed a look glinting in his eyes when she said werewolves. It was a look that _almost_ looked like anger, but she couldn't know for sure.

Simon's face fell. "Anastasia, please," he said in a hushed voice, "this may not make any sense—"

"You're right, this doesn't make any sense," Anastasia seethed. " _Vampires_? Do you _seriously_ expect me to believe that bullshit?"

Before Simon could say anything else, Derek threw a look his brother's way. Simon's gaze went to Derek's for the briefest moment before he looked at Anastasia almost defeatedly. He should've known better than to think telling her so early on would've been a good idea.

Sighing, Simon frowned deeply. "I don't know a lot about vampires," he said lowly, trying to keep his voice steady, "from what I've been told, they're rare—thought to have been extinct at one point. But the one thing that stands out the most with them is that in the event of them dying, they come back." Anastasia's brows furrowed, she took a step back. "They don't have a heartbeat, they don't have the need to breathe, they are able to heal immediately."

"This isn't happening," she whispered.

"From the looks of it—how you're able to go out in the sun and everything—I guess those vampire legends aren't true." Simon's eyes flicked to Derek for a moment, as if they were having some unspoken discussion.

Before Simon could say anything else, Anastasia shoved her way past Derek, who had no trouble moving out of her way.

* * *

Even though Lyle House was against the residents locking themselves in their rooms, that's exactly what Anastasia did. She came to Lyle House because she had openly attacked Benji, bitten him so hard on the neck it drew blood. She enjoyed the taste of it, she wanted _more_ of it. Anastasia's logic was that she was defending herself from Benji doing something—he was grabbing at her, wouldn't anyone else do what she did? He was practically holding her arms down, what else was she supposed to do?

Even before he threw her on the ground, Anastasia had been feeling weird. Her canines were hurting and it felt like her head was stuffed with things she couldn't explain.

But after she woke up in the hospital, she _swore_ she wasn't breathing. Was it the medication they gave her? Not to mention the mysterious medical condition no one would tell her about. If they were going to shove medicine down her throat, wouldn't they at least tell her what was going on?

Swallowing thickly, Anastasia quickly got out of her room and went to the bathroom. After closing and locking the door, Anastasia looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look any different. Her hair had been pulled into a ponytail and her blue eyes sparkled with almost fear if she had it in her. Opening her mouth, she inspected her teeth. They didn't look different.

Poking the tips of her canines, Anastasia frowned.

Right as Anastasia was about to close her mouth, she felt a quick ache in her mouth and a poke on her bottom lip. Reopening her mouth, she felt her blood run cold. Anastasia's canines were longer and _sharper_ than before.

A knock on the bathroom door snapped her out of whatever trance she was finding herself in.

"Anastasia?" It was Talbot, making Anastasia feel almost lightheaded. "You've been up here for quite a while, are you OK?"

"I'm fine," she exclaimed, wincing a little at how her teeth felt against her mouth. "I'll be out in a minute."

That seemed to settle whatever worries Talbot was having.

Turning back to her reflection in the mirror, Anastasia looked at her teeth one more time, silently hoping it'd go away. And, with another quick ache and a little sting and her canines returned to normal. Quickly closing her mouth, Anastasia closed her eyes and let out a breath.

 _What the Hell is happening?_

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the poorly written chapter and the possible rushing in everything that's been happening in the story. Just let me know what you think and I will try my best to improve it. I'll also apologize for making you guys wait for so long for this chapter to be updated, I got sidetracked by responsibilities, so I hope you understand. I'm kind of running on fumes right now—which kind of shows in the chapters—so please, if you've got any ideas or suggestions, leave a review! Help is very welcome.**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe, just the fillers and characters I add in.**

 **Like I mentioned before, I'm running on fumes and I will accept any help. If you've got ideas, suggestions, possible OC's you'd like to add, anything at all, leave a review or a PM. I kind of need the help at the moment, since I'm running a little low on ideas and I don't want this story to suffer for the sake of the reviewers.**

 **Just a head's up, I won't be able to post a lot [even though I don't post a lot of chapters anyway, it'll take a lot longer for me to post new chapters nowadays] because I am getting bombarded with school work and my hours at work have gone up so I'll be really busy. Sorry.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	11. Chapter 11

**10**

Anastasia decided she was going to do a test. Every morning for the past couple days, whenever the Lyle House residents were given their medication before breakfast, Anastasia would make sure to pretend to take it, just to reassure Talbot and the others that she was trying to get better. The minute breakfast was over, Anastasia would rush to the bathroom and would spit out the pills they gave her. Part of her still didn't believe in what Derek and Simon had told her about the whole vampire crap; but another part of her wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Since she hadn't taken her medication in the past couple days, Anastasia did notice some significant changes in herself. Like back when she was in school, when she hadn't taken her medication for those numbers of days, she felt as if her head had been stuffed with the presence of every single person in Lyle House. It was like some kind of weird sixth sense.

Not only that, but she started noticing a certain change in her senses, more importantly, her sense of smell. Every time someone walked past her, Anastasia would catch a whiff of their blood—that's right, their _blood_. It was coppery, fresh, and it smelled _delicious_! Anastasia could feel her canines aching to pop out; she'd be unable to look anyone in the eye. Every time she looked at someone, all she thought about was how their blood smelled.

Anastasia couldn't stop thinking about how she wanted to taste it.

* * *

It had been after Anastasia finished her chores that she went to the media room to do a little research. Since Simon had embedded that ridiculous notion that she was a vampire—she still didn't really believe him, despite her unnatural behavior—Anastasia decided she might as well get herself up-to-date on the whole vampire lore.

And, for the most part, what she got was the same.

Immortal. Can't have anything garlicky. No sunlight. Anything religious kills them. Wooden stake to the heart; set them on fire; decapitation kills them. Will only feed on Human blood.

Anastasia fell under none of those categories.

Except maybe for her unusual fascination with the way other peoples' blood smelled.

When the feeling of someone coming near the media room filled Anastasia's head, she quickly exited out of the websites she was on and looked at the doorway. Chloe walked in, her blue eyes looking almost distant.

"You OK?" Anastasia asked, trying to stop herself from smelling the aroma of Chloe's blood.

Jumping at the sound of her voice, Chloe's eyes got even bigger when she saw Anastasia sitting near the computer. "I d-didn't even s-see you there," she sputtered.

Trying for an apologetic smile, Anastasia shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "You look a little out there," she murmured. "Is something wrong?"

Shrugging, Chloe tugged some of her hair behind her ears. "I don't know," she sighed. "Things have been...weird lately."

"Tell me about it." Anastasia snorted, rolling her eyes. When neither of them said anything, Anastasia tried distracting herself with whatever was around the room—the out-of-date television, the out-of-date computer, the VHSs that were neatly stacked near the TV—but nothing seemed to be doing Anastasia any good. Chloe's presence filled Anastasia's mind and the smell of her blood rushed through her nostrils, making her squirm a little from where she sat.

"Anastasia?" Chloe's voice sounded so soft, Anastasia almost had to strain to hear her. "Does...Derek ever creep you out?"

Giving a short, humorless laugh, Anastasia threw a dry look the small blonde's way. "Chloe, you have no idea," she snorted. "I swear to God, he's like a ghost or something."

Anastasia had been quick to notice the way Chloe flinched slightly at the word ghost.

"Is he bothering you?" she asked.

"N-No!" Chloe exclaimed, stuttering. "I-I...He j-just...creeps me out."

"Chloe, if he is..."

"He's not." Chloe shook her head, not meeting Anastasia's gaze. "I just wanted to know if you felt the same way. I know not a lot of people like him..."

"I don't think it matters to Derek whether or not people like him." Anastasia leaned back in her chair. "If he makes you uncomfortable, just let him know. If he's got any common sense, he'd back off."

* * *

It was dinnertime and Anastasia hardly touched her food. The others were happily eating and chatting away with each other. Chloe and Rae were the only ones who didn't show up. Any other time, Anastasia would've settled for nibbling at her food, making it seem like she was eating, but she was so distracted by the overwhelming smell of the blood around her that she couldn't keep her appetite on the food on the table.

"You've been acting really twitchy lately," Tori chimed, looking at Anastasia with a scrutinizing glare. For the most part, Tori had left Anastasia alone. Since Liz's departure, the two hardly saw each other. But Victoria Enright was making a full recovery, which meant she was coming back as the rude person she was. "Are you sure your meds are working?"

Anastasia threw a dry look Tori's way.

"I heard you get depressed easily," Tori went on. "Something about it doing with your bipolar."

Anastasia flared her nostrils, trying to keep herself calm.

"Don't _you_ have bipolar, too, Tori?" Simon said, his voice sounding slightly irritated.

Looking almost offended Simon Bae would say something like that, Tori's eyes narrowed as she shot a glare between Simon and Anastasia.

"I'm just saying she doesn't look right," she scoffed. "If her meds aren't working, who's to say she won't try something?"

"Anastasia is the last person we should worry about," Simon exclaimed.

"If I wanted to try something, _Victoria_ , I would've tried already." Anastasia threw a look Tori's way. "But I don't like wasting my time on pointless crap like this."

Tori's eyes narrowed a fraction, but Anastasia swore she saw fragments of fear in her eyes. Anastasia felt a sense of satisfactory wash over her at the sight of it, but there was something else stirring in her.

She just couldn't make out what it was.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the long wait for the chapter to be put up! I'd like to thank everyone who's left a review for this story; it really means a lot that you guys enjoy it. If you've got any suggestions for future updates, please let me know. I love it when reviewers have suggestions, it makes the story more interesting.**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe; all I own are my characters and my fillers.**

 **If you've got ideas/suggestions for future updates, leave a review; if you've got ideas fore OC's you'd like to see written into the story, leave a review or a PM.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	12. Chapter 12

**11**

"I need some answers." Anastasia managed to find Simon after nearly a week without her medication and that weird, overwhelming feeling with everyone's blood. "Why are you so convinced I'm a vampire?" she hissed.

Simon, needless to say, had been surprised when Anastasia nearly cornered him outside while he was raking leaves. After the whole altercation between them, Simon was staying back, hoping he wasn't overstepping a boundary. Derek, on the other hand, had been keeping a very close eye on Anastasia. She'd catch him watching her closely—whether it was at their mealtime or whenever they passed each other in the house.

"Vampires don't even exist." Anastasia's brows furrowed.

"There's a lot of things that you don't understand," Simon said, his voice quiet. "Derek and I grew up knowing things most people wouldn't even believe in."

Anastasia crossed her arms over her chest. "That still doesn't answer my question."

"OK." Simon sighed, running a hand through his hair. "If you've had any time to think over what Derek and I told you, then maybe you've had time to consider it. Vamps _are_ real—so are a lot of other things."

"What _'other things'_?" she interrupted.

"Witches, sorcerers, half demons, necromancers, and yes, werewolves." Simon's face held a seriousness that made Anastasia's gut twist anxiously. "There's a world out there that's hidden behind this one—the Human world."

"You grew up believing in that?"

Simon hesitated for a moment before nodding. "My father is a sorcerer," he borderline whispered. Anastasia noted the hesitation and look of slight grief that spread across his face at the mention of his father. " _I'm_ a sorcerer. That's how I grew up."

Anastasia swallowed thickly, studying Simon to see if he was lying. She really wanted to believe he was, there was no way what he was talking about was real. "So if you're really a sorcerer," Anastasia said slowly, trying to keep her voice steady, "what did you do to get stuck here?"

"That's the thing," Simon murmured, "nothing about Lyle House makes sense."

"How so?" Anastasia would've been lying if she said she didn't notice the little things about Lyle House that didn't quite add up. Like Liz—the poor girl had been gone for a while and not a single adult has mentioned her. No one's been told whether or not Liz is OK; when a good time would be to call her; whether or not she could come back. Then there was the fact that it felt like all the adults were hiding something.

"This isn't just some place to send mentally ill kids." Simon's face returned to its seriousness. "There are other supernaturals here."

"Supernaturals?" Anastasia quirked a brow at that, pursing her lips.

"That's what we're called."

"What makes you think this place is harboring _'supernaturals'_?" Anastasia asked, using air quotes near the end.

"You and me; possibly Liz; Chloe, definitely; and...Derek." The hesitation returned to his voice at the mention of his brother.

"You're throwing Liz and Chloe in here too?" she hissed.

Simon swallowed thickly. "Listen, Lyle House isn't some place to put kids who've messed up," he whispered, "it's a place that's doing something to supernatural kids. Haven't you wondered why no one's been able to get in contact with Liz? Chloe's been asking for her since she left and she hasn't been able to call her."

"Can you prove it?" Anastasia interrupted.

"What?" Simon's brows furrowed for a moment.

"I don't care how you do it or whatever—just prove _some_ thing to me so I know it's real."

A conflicted look came across Simon's face. He could tell Anastasia wanted prove and answers immediately, but he just wasn't sure how he was going to do all that. He was already trying to give her the best answers he could possibly conjure, and it didn't seem like enough. Holding up his hand, Simon muttered something too quiet for Anastasia to hear.

For a split second, Anastasia thought she saw something flicker in the palm of his hand before it quickly dissipated. Anastasia's eyes flickered to Simon for a minute, watching intently as he muttered something under his breath again and another flicker of light appeared on his palm, only it continued to struggle in his palm for a solid two minutes before dissipating.

"What was that?" she said, her voice curt.

"A spell my father taught me." Simon's eyes flickered to Anastasia for a moment. "No special effects."

"So you're saying you're doing magic?"

"I don't know if I'd call it _that_ , but in a sense, I am."

Wrapping her arms around herself, Anastasia swallowed thickly.

"I don't understand why you're suddenly taking such an interest in this," he muttered, gripping the handle of the rake in one hand.

"Oh trust me, I'm still not sure," she said with a humorless chuckle. "But I've been seeing some weird crap since you and _him_ told me about...this."

"Weird crap? What're you talking about?"

Anastasia tried finding the words to explain what she meant, but she struggled to find them. She didn't want to admit that what she was experiencing could possibly fall under the umbrella of Simon's... _supernatural_ experiences. Anastasia grew up believing stuff like that only existed in fairytales or horror books and movies. So why, all of a sudden, did it feel like everything she read about in horror books was coming to life?

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hopefully you guys liked this update. I tried to keep it interesting and there might be more mentions of the series in the next couple updates, since it's mostly been about what's happening with Anastasia and whatnot. Let me know what you guys think.**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe, it all belongs to Kelley Armstrong.**

 **If there are any suggestions on what could happen in future updates, please let me know. If there are any ideas or suggestions on possible OC's that reviewers would like added to the story, leave a review or a PM.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	13. Chapter 13

**12**

Anastasia looked at Simon intently. There was a look in Simon's eyes that made a shiver run up her spine. He was serious in everything he'd said and everything he'd done. A big part of Anastasia still believed what he was saying and whatever it was he tried showing her was a lie—it was all some elaborate prank being pulled on the new girl. It made sense. Talking about vampires and sorcery; witches and werewolves—who talked about it so casually? Like it was an every day occurance?

"You mentioned something about Chloe," Anastasia said lowly. "How does she connect in all this?"

A look swept across Simon's face. "She's a necromancer."

"Necromancer?"

"She's able to control the dead." Anastasia paled.

"You're telling me _Chloe_ controls dead people?"

"Dead anything," Simon said. "That's what necromancers do—if it's dead, they can do what they want to it."

"What about Liz?" Anastasia stammered. "Didn't you say something about her?"

"Chloe's thinking Liz is probably a half demon," Simon muttered, sounding a little unsure. "She's seen what looks to be Liz's ghost, but she's not sure. We can't call her, none of the nurses will let us."

"Wait, half demon?" Anastasia crossed her arms uncomfortably over her chest. "Like..."

"Human mother, demon father." Simon shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I don't know a lot about demons. My father tried keeping us diversified."

Anastasia swallowed thickly. "Can you at least tell me what you know about vampires?"

Simon shrugged, seeming almost lost. "From what I know, all those movies and stories on vamps are crap—except for the blood thing, they need blood to survive."

"So they can go out in sunlight?"

"Well, yeah." Simon gave her an odd look. "If you're really a vampire, then you're proving every stupid horror story about them wrong." Anastasia felt a lump form in her throat. "I think I mentioned this before but...vamps don't have heartbeats, they're pretty much dead. They don't exactly feel the need to breathe; garlic and holy things don't bother them; I said this before, but vampires are _extremely_ rare, even rarer than werewolves."

"What makes them so rare?"

"For vamps, it's the hunters."

"Hunters?"

"Yeah, there're vampire hunters." Simon almost pulled an apologetically pitiful face. "Kinda sucks."

"What about werewolves? Why're they so rare?"

"They're just harder to come across."

Anastasia buried her face in her hands. "So does that mean I— _they_ —live forever?"

"From what my Dad said, not entirely."

"That doesn't sound comforting."

"I guess they're sort of immortal," Simon said, sounding extremely unsure. "They can live a couple hundred years, and then they die—for real this time."

"If a hunter doesn't get to them first."

"Right."

Anastasia swallowed thickly.

"Hopefully this doesn't sound offensive or anything, but one thing that really stands out with vamps, is that they're probably the most hated supernatural species."

The look on Anastasia's face made Simon's fall. It felt like her head was filling up with questions that needed answers; all these scenarios that just weren't making sense for her. She desperately wanted to hold onto her belief that everything Simon was saying was some big, weird prank, but it wasn't. There was a little voice in the back of her head that kept saying that what he was saying was true. How else could she explain the sudden bloodlust? The fangs? The weird sixth sense? Anastasia couldn't expect to have a logical solution for everything.

"From what I know on werewolves, it's natural for them to kill. It's like an instinct, but they can control it. For vamps, they can't."

"I don't understand."

"Vampires—I could be wrong—don't _have_ to kill their victims when they feed, but I've heard stories of vampires needing to kill at least _one_ person during their feeding to extend their life. Werewolves can control their need to kill, vampires can't."

The backs of her eyes stung with tears.

"Hey, are you OK?" Simon took a cautious step forward, looking at Anastasia worriedly.

"No," she whispered. "You're telling me that I have to kill people so I can live longer?"

"Wait, Anastasia...," he started.

"You can't be serious," she hissed. "All this talking about supernatural things...I don't know what to think of it."

"You've changed," Simon said. "We've noticed it—Derek even more so."

Anastasia let out a sharp, humorless chuckle. "Oh, I've noticed him watching," she exclaimed. "It's kind of hard _not_ to notice him."

"Looks, Anastasia, I'm sorry...," Simon started.

"No, don't apologize." Anastasia waved a hand dismissively in front of her. "I don't know what I expected when I came here." Trying for her best smile, Anastasia turned to go back into the house. She honestly wasn't sure if things could get any weirder.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the wait and for the agonizingly short chapter! I got sidetracked by things, so please don't be upset! If you've got ideas/suggestions/etc., let me know. I'm all for what you guys have to say about this story.**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe. All I own are my characters and the clothes in my closet.**

 **If you've got a moment to spare, and I know it has absolutely nothing to do with this story or with the DP universe in general, but I saw the newest X Men movie today! It wasn't bad, it was a little jumbled here and there, but I thought it was decent enough. The whole Apocalypse thing was interesting, maybe they could've done a little more on it. I don't know, that's just me being the nerd that I am. I digress.**

 **Oh! I don't know if I'm for this yet, but once I finish my rendition of the first book in the DP series—at least the one that focuses on Derek and the gang, since there are so many different series** **—I would write a sort of sequel based on the second and third book. Whaddya say?**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	14. Chapter 14

**13**

By the time Simon had finished raking the leaves, he put the rake away and went back inside. He kind of expected Anastasia to act the way she did—she was more stubborn in accepting who was than Chloe, but at least Chloe was willing to give it a shot when Derek told her. With Anastasia, it was nearly unpredictable. But there was still a significant change in her, one even Derek got a little worried about.

Which, in Simon's opinion, took a lot.

"She was talking to you." The deep rumble started Simon for just a split second before he saw Derek looming near the back doorway.

"She had some questions." Simon threw a smile his brother's way. "I think dropping the bombshell this early kind of startled her."

Derek rolled his eyes, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"C'mon, bro, she's barely been here any longer than Chloe."

Narrowing his eyes, Derek regarded Simon carefully. "Chloe's taking it better than she is."

"'Cause you're basically forcing her to." Simon threw a dry look Derek's way. "Anastasia is a little more stubborn; but I think she's getting it."

Derek knew Simon was telling the truth—he'd heard the entire conversation. Anastasia was starting to crack under the weight of what she'd been told. Derek knew it'd only be a matter of time before she started getting anxious and asking for questions, it was one of the reasons he wanted her to know so early on.

"You're going to be using her, too, aren't you?" Simon's voice was empty of any mischievousness or friendliness. It was all serious. "Just like you are with Chloe."

Neither of them said anything for a moment.

Even though Derek didn't want to initially, he figured that Anastasia would be useful when the time came to find their father. Which would be soon.

* * *

Rae had stopped Anastasia; it was during a little break in classes and while Rae wouldn't have minded being with Chloe, the two were currently not on speaking terms. At least, Rae wasn't in the mood for the talking, Chloe was just backing off.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Rae exclaimed. "What happened?"

Anastasia looked at Rae carefully. What should she say? Simon and Derek were convinced she was a vampire—and she was starting to believe it? That Liz was possibly a half demon and Chloe was a necromancer? She'd sound insane for sure!

"It's been a weird day," she sighed.

Rae gave Anastasia a look.

"Simon's been saying some weird things," Anastasia muttered, trying to be as vague as possible. "I just don't know what to make of it."

"If it makes you feel any better, he's been having Derek go at Chloe for a while now." Rae shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Something about Chloe being able to see ghosts."

Anastasia's mouth suddenly felt dry.

"What's he been telling you that's gotten you all pale?"

"That I'm a vampire."

Rae's eyes became so wide Anastasia was convinced they'd pop out of her head. She expected Rae to start laughing, saying Simon was certainly crazy for thinking like that, but when she mentioned Chloe's possible ability in ghost-seeing, she sounded almost convinced it was true.

"Like, _Dracula_?"

Anastasia's nose crinkled, not really liking the sound of that.

Rae quickly noticed the look on Anastasia's face and frowned. "Wrong word?"

"I just don't know what to think."

"Hey, what's the worse that could happen?" Rae exclaimed. "Besides sparkling."

A strained smile spread across Anastasia's face at the attempt of a joke. "No sparkling, thank God," she said.

"That's one thing out of the way." Rae leaned back in her seat. "But c'mon, wouldn't it be cool? I mean, Chloe's got some weird mojo going on—now you? I'm starting to feel a little left out."

"I wouldn't say I have any mojo." Anastasia's face grimaced a little. "Being a vampire doesn't sound very appealing." It really didn't. Anastasia was still fighting against the whole urge to go on a blood-drinking-spree. Some days were worse than others, but she knew it wouldn't go away until she figured out how she'd find someone willing to give her blood. Or, in case they refused...

"Well, I'm sure it beats seeing dead people," Rae said, her voice low, like someone might be listening. "But hey, that's my opinion. Chloe sees dead people, you can turn into a bat!"

Anastasia narrowed her eyes a little at what Rae said. Even though she was still finding some struggle in believing what Simon and Derek had said, there was another part of her taking personal offense to Rae's little jokes; as harmless as they were.

"Hey, you can always talk to me if you've got any problems, OK?" Rae said, throwing a comforting smile Anastasia's way. "I don't really know if I'll have the best advice, but I can listen if that's what you want."

 _Might be better company than Simon or Derek. But Rae seems way too eager to believe in all this. Seems a bit weird, right?_

Anastasia shook the thought out. Rae was being nice—sure she wasn't as nice as Liz, but she was trying to be the better person.

"I'll keep that in mind," Anastasia sighed. "Thanks."

"No problem, girl." Rae threw a smile Anastasia's way. "I gotta get back to class. Don't do anything exciting while I'm gone."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the wait, but here it is! The newest update! If you've got ideas, suggestions, anything, let me know! I'm all for what you guys have to say! When should Anastasia come to fully accept herself? Should I be putting in more Derek/Anastasia moments? Derek's still trying to get Chloe to help him in getting Simon out of Lyle House, how should he convince Anastasia to go? What do you guys think?!**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe. All I own are my characters and an exhaustion from studying for finals.**

 **Let me know if I got the characters wrong! If you think I should change the way I write the characters from the book, let me know and I'll do it to the best of my abilities.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	15. Chapter 15

**14**

Anastasia looked at herself in the mirror. Her canines were extended, pointed and making her gums ache. She'd been doing that for the past ten minutes in the bathroom, she made sure to have enough noise going on to make it seem like she was doing something, at least so Talbot or Van Dop would get off her back on why she was in there for so long.

That gnawing feeling was in the pit of her stomach again, making her jittery and anxious. Anastasia was trying her best to be less distracted by it, but it was at its worst at that moment.

Quickly retracting her canines and splashing her face with freezing water from the sink, Anastasia pulled her black hair into a messy ponytail before trudging out of the bathroom.

* * *

Derek had been watching Anastasia for a while—ever since Simon and her had been out back together. He didn't try and hide the fact that he was watching her, either. He could see the look of displeasure on her face every time she noticed he was watching. Though Derek wasn't so upfront with Anastasia about what he _knew_ as he was with Chloe, Derek made sure to at least let Anastasia know he was keeping a close eye on her.

He had very little knowledge when it came to vampires. All Derek knew were a few minor details and some small historical background on them. His father didn't really see the need to teach him or Simon about vamps. As far as his father was concerned, vampires weren't a big enough species to really dive into, given their rarity and established dislike in the supernatural community.

As far as Derek was concerned, vampires were more hated by other supernaturals than werewolves.

 _'Werewolves can control their need to kill, vampires can't.'_

Derek wasn't sure about that. He wouldn't tell Simon—or anyone else for that matter—but he always had a feeling that maybe the wolf in him would take over at some point—at least once he's actually Changed—and he'd kill someone out of the pure need to kill. He hadn't had any thoughts like that so far, but he could only assume it was because he hadn't fully Changed yet.

But that didn't mean the wolf in him didn't have _some_ control.

He tilted his head slightly when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Classes were over for the day, and he was confined to washing the dishes; everyone else had been given chores to do, as well.

Derek's eyes were on the kitchen door when he heard the footsteps walk by. He caught a faint whiff of whoever it was, a frown settling on his face. It was Anastasia.

In certain instances, Derek would notice a bit of a change in Anastasia's scent. It was almost like she was transformed in some way—different in a way he couldn't put into words. That was how her scent smelled like when she walked by.

Pursing his lips, Derek narrowed his eyes slightly.

Anastasia had already gone to Simon for help, and even though Derek wouldn't admit it was a bit of arrogance that struck through him, he knew that, eventually, Anastasia would come to him for help when it was needed.

* * *

That overwhelming feeling of almost feeling every person's presence in her mind was keeping Anastasia from keeping still. She was trying so hard to keep herself distracted, but she couldn't. Aside from the fact that Simon's words were still dancing around in her head, Anastasia had to deal with the fact that she was starting to accept some of the things she was being told.

She didn't _want_ to, but she couldn't find a reasonable explanation _around_ it.

Who suddenly grows fangs without being able to before? How would it be physically _possible_ to be able to do something like that? Not to mention the sudden bloodlust. Where did _that_ come from?!

Simon said vampires couldn't control their need to kill, unlike werewolves apparently.

 _But didn't Simon say that vampires could control themselves to an extent?_ she thought worriedly. _Wasn't there something about genetics involved?_

Anastasia let out a frustrated sigh. How was she supposed to understand what they were talking about if her brain wasn't making it easy for her?

Biting her fingernails, Anastasia decided that at least biting her nails could distract her from the disgustingly overwhelming need for blood.

Though she had to wonder how much longer that'd last.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the short chapter—if it's sloppy, too, I guess I'll apologize for that** **—I've had finals and studying, and I've been procrastinating a lot on my responsibilities, and then there's work! I'll only assume you guys don't want to hear me complain about adulthood. Anyway, here's the chapter, if you enjoyed it I appreciate it, if you didn't then I am sorry.**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe. All I own are my characters and the grades in my classes.**

 **Seriously, if you guys have ideas on** **anything** **—I'm kind of running low at the moment** **—let me know and I'll add it to the story as quickly as I can. If there's anything you guys think I should change, let me know and I'll do it as quickly as I can, as well. It's important that I know what you guys think.**

 **I'd like to thank** Olivia707 **,** all the Guests **,** VioletSciptor **,** Big fan **,** SME13 **,** Fan **,** RosaSilvermist **,** Wolfbat95 **,** lacie2828 **,** **and** SwerveHo **for all the reviews you've left for this story! It means so much to me. You're all fantastic people and I wish you the best.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	16. Chapter 16

**15**

Chaotic, that's the best word to describe what went down at Lyle House. Talbot told the inhabitants that—except for Derek—they'd be going on a special _field trip_. Where? To a community pool. _Exciting_!

Anastasia and the others—Anastasia later found out that Chloe and Tori were also amongst those who didn't go on the special trip—went to the community pool for a good amount of time. In Anastasia's opinion, it wasn't anything special. It was kind of boring. Rae tried keeping the situation entertaining for Anastasia's sake, and even Simon was keeping up with the socializing, but it still felt more like a chore to be there than something anyone would've actually enjoyed.

When everyone had returned to Lyle House, and after a little searching, an uproar ensued.

Chloe and Derek had been found in the basement, crawling out of a crawlspace, both of them covered in dirt and grime.

Needless to say, there hadn't been such a scene since Liz hurting one of the tutors.

* * *

"You don't think it's weird though?" Rae looked at Anastasia with wide, curious eyes. "Why would Chloe be down there with _Derek_? _Especially_ by herself!"

Anastasia shrugged. The two girls were in the media room, trying to make the most of their extended free time. The nurses, even Dr. Davidoff, who made a very brief introduction to Anastasia, came down with a small blonde haired woman. A look of concern had been on the woman's face while Davidoff looked like he was radiating a kind of silent fury.

"I highly doubt they actually _did_ anything." Anastasia glanced at Rae with a small frown. "Chloe doesn't seem like the kind of person to do that."

"Chloe's been talking about how there was a ghost in the basement," Rae muttered, leaning back in the chair she was in. "She said it was talking to her and it was in the crawlspace. That could've been why they were investigating."

Anastasia shrugged. "Tori was also here, too."

Rae thought about it for a moment before a form of realization hit. "You think Tori tried something?" she whispered.

"You never know." In all honesty, Anastasia wouldn't put it past Tori to do something. Tori Enright had some kind of problem, and Anastasia was convinced it had nothing to do with a mental illness. Maybe it was a personal, family issue that she just couldn't express correctly. Anastasia couldn't make herself understand why Tori seemed to hostile to everyone—except to Simon in most cases.

"You think they'll transfer Chloe?" Rae asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Doubt it." Anastasia snorted. "As far as I'm concerned, Chloe's been the pinnacle of good behavior. They wouldn't transfer her over one little thing."

"This _one little thing_ happens to be Derek Souza." Rae gave Anastasia a dry look.

"I'm sure they'll work something out that has nothing to do with transfers," Anastasia sighed. "They'll both be fine, it was one mistake."

"Since when did you start defending Frankenstein?" Rae said, giving an unladylike snort.

 _Since he started having potential information I might need._ Anastasia simply shrugged.

Rae groaned. "I can't stand this."

"Then let's focus on something else."

"How's that whole vampire business going for you?"

Not exactly the topic Anastasia would've gone for, but it worked in abruptly changing the subject.

"I'm getting there," she sighed. "It's a slow and steady process."

"I don't understand it," Rae sighed. "Chloe sees ghosts, you're a vampire, and I'm here—a big ol' lump on a log."

"No you're not."

"You wanna know how I got here?" Rae exclaimed. Anastasia halfheartedly motioned her to continue. "My foster mother said I burned her, except I wasn't holding anything with fire."

"That could be something," Anastasia encouraged. _Since when did you start encouraging people that they have powers?_ Anastasia pushed the thought down.

"I want it to be," Rae sighed. "I _really_ do. It's weird, though—my foster mom said I gave her first degree burns, and when I saw it looked like a hand mark."

"Are you interested in fire?" Anastasia asked.

Rae blushed. "I try not to make it so obvious. I just like the way it looks, really. I'd never use it to hurt anyone, that's wrong!"

 _So Chloe's seeing dead people, Simon makes magic, there's something up with Liz, and now Rae's sort of burning people? Is it really a coincidence that kids with weird powers or abilities are popping up here?_

Anastasia nodded slowly. "Well, everything will work itself out, OK?" she said, trying for a smile. "Who knows, maybe you do have some kind of cool fire power."

Rae's eyes lit up.

Anastasia couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Rae, though. It was the first time she heard Rae talk about anyone in her family, and knowing she was actually adopted made Anastasia wonder just how badly Rae wanted to fit in.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I promise there will be action coming up in future updates. It's been sixteen chapters of just pure fillers with only brief mentions of the first story. If you've got ideas on how to make the future updates better or how to improve the story altogether, let me know OK? I'm all for the ideas/suggestions you guys have.**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe. All I own are my characters and the food in my fridge.**

 **Seriously** **—if you've got any ideas for this story, don't hesitate to tell me. I love reading the ideas you guys have for this story. Tell me if I'm getting the characters wrong, tell me if I am getting anything in regards to Kelley Armstrong's story wrong, tell me how to improve!**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	17. Chapter 17

**16**

Anastasia was quick to notice how things in Lyle House had, for the most part, forced normalcy. There was an obvious tension between Derek, Chloe, and the staff—the tension was so think you'd be able to cut it with a knife.

 _Things will sort themselves out eventually,_ Anastasia thought solemnly. _Hopefully nothing too extreme happens again._

* * *

"I have questions." Anastasia managed to find Derek while he was leaving his shared room with Simon. Anastasia had a feeling that Derek knew she'd eventually come to him, and even though not being around Derek—whether it was Chloe or anyone else—would probably be highly advised by the nurses and other staff, Anastasia wanted to know that her questions would be answered. Simon had some good information, but it wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear.

Derek's green eyes narrowed just a fraction at Anastasia. She had kept her distance from him for the most part, and he could've cared less if she found herself comfortable around him or not.

"Questions?" he rumbled, his voice seeming to have _lowered_ an octave.

"Don't play stupid with me," Anastasia muttered almost bitterly. "You've got Simon running around, telling me all this crap on _vampires_. I _know_ you've got some useful stuff that could, possible, help me."

If Derek hadn't been feeling a little _under the weather_ , he would've found himself feeling a bit smug at Anastasia's admittance that she needed his help. But, Derek _was_ feeling under the weather, which meant he wasn't really in a very sociable mood. He was having trouble sleeping, occasionally he'd get a few muscle spasms. He knew what that meant, and it made him irritable. Changing was a natural part of a werewolf's development, but for some reason he was having prolonged moments of just irritability, muscle spasms, and occasionally sleep depravation. But given the look in Anastasia's eyes, Derek Souza found himself in a situation he knew he couldn't really get out of.

Anastasia wanted answers.

And no matter how many times Derek would growl or grumble or mutter something under his breath, he had a feeling he wouldn't be given the opportunity to leave so easily.

"Fine," he growled, the sound of it making a shiver run up Anastasia's spine.

"How much do you know on it?" Anastasia murmured, trying to keep her voice low. If Simon had been correct in his assumption that Lyle House was more than just a place for mentally ill children, then Anastasia wanted to gather as much information as she could.

Absentmindedly scratching his forearm, Derek's gaze clouded over a bit. "They're rare," he grumbled, scowling slightly. "Chances of running into a vampire in your lifetime is slim to none."

"Simon mentioned vamps being sort of immortal, what does that mean specifically?" Anastasia's blue eyes narrowed a little. If she were really a vampire, would she be stuck at the same age she died at forever?

"Vamps can only live a couple hundred years," Derek rumbled, his scowl deepening. "I could be wrong, but vamps _are_ capable of dying."

"Do they have this kind of sixth sense?" Anastasia shifted where she stood, her eyes darting around. She had to make the meeting quick, she realized, since the nurses would possibly catch Derek and her together and make another rash outcome out of nothing.

Derek's eyes narrowed to almost slits. "Sixth sense?" he grumbled, rubbing his forearm almost viscously.

Anastasia's gaze went to Derek's arm for a moment before he immediately stopped scratching.

"Just answer the question," she grumbled.

Shaking his head, Derek let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know," he mumbled irritably. "Listen, vamps aren't really accepted outside their own kind. No one likes them." Anastasia's lips pursed. "As much as you probably want to understand what's going on, I feel like you know more than you're letting on," he hissed.

"I'm trying to know for sure what I'm being told I am," she murmured. "It's not everyday you're being told about vampires like it's an every day occurrence."

Derek rolled his eyes.

"You're smart," he muttered, "I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Anastasia's mouth thinned a little. Was he complimenting her?

Carefully maneuvering himself around her, Derek unconsciously resumed scratching his arm.

Anastasia turned to watch him go. Derek's shoulders were hunched, his hair hanging limply over his face. She'd noticed his acne was more pronounced and his skin was paler than usual. Was he sick? He looked it.

Waiting until he turned the corner, Anastasia left before Talbot or Van Dop found her in the boys' section of the house. She wasn't in the mood to get some kind of lecture on how _inappropriate_ she was being, lurking in the boys' section.

Crossing her arms, Anastasia walked off, heading downstairs to at least find something to keep herself preoccupied for the time being.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hey-yo, everybody. Sorry for the delay, but here's the chapter! If you've got ideas on possible future updates, let me know! I'm all for the ideas you've got.**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe. All I own are my characters and the clarinet that I play.**

 **If you've got ideas for side plots, leave a review; if you've got ideas for side character pairings, leave a review; if you've got an idea on anything, leave a review. I feel like, even though there are a fair amount of reviews for this story already, it doesn't really get a lot, especially when it comes to when I ask you guys for help. I always feel a little disappointed when I don't get a lot of help for this story. I know it's probably not the most interesting story out there, but that's why I ask for your help. You're the reviewers, I hoped you'd at least give some feedback on how to better this story!**

 **Anywho, it's kind of getting to that point where it doesn't even matter if you leave a review for this story anymore. If you do, thanks; if you don't, then you don't.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	18. Chapter 18

**17**

Derek's mind was going over every detail. It had become an agreement between himself and Simon that when the day came for Simon to break out of Lyle House, he'd take Chloe with him. Being a necromancer, Chloe would be useful in the sense that, heaven forbid, his and Simon's father had been killed. But another problem arose, one Derek couldn't quite figure out if it'd be important or not. Derek _knew_ Anastasia was a vampire; from the little knowledge he knew on them, she was giving all the signs of one who'd already been turned; and if Anastasia was in any was correct about having some sort of _sixth sense_ , maybe she'd also be useful in Simon's escape.

Letting out a sigh that sounded dangerously similar to a growl, Derek ran his hand through his lank hair. Did he want to risk the whole plan by adding Anastasia in? She wasn't as quick to accept what she really was like Chloe—if anything, Anastasia was more stubborn. She'd gone to Simon more than once on the topic; she'd gone to Derek himself only _once_.

The sound that came out of his mouth sounded more like a wolf growling.

"Something wrong?" Simon looked up from his sketches for a brief moment before going back to what he was doing. Simon, having known Derek better than anyone else, knew that his brother was overthinking everything. It was a bad habit of his.

The only response Derek gave was an unintelligible grumble.

Simon didn't bother pushing the subject.

Silence continued to linger between them; Derek deciding to try and get some homework done, Simon continuing with his drawings. Derek would make sure to tell Simon when he found some kind of conclusion to the plan.

* * *

Anastasia had started attending afternoon class; her teachers sent over all her work, so she had a lot to catch up on. In a way, Anastasia was kind of happy she was able to attend class, it could give her time to momentarily distract herself from everything that was happening. But having to attend classes also _frustrated_ her. If Anastasia was going to accept the fact she was a _vampire_ —even though part of her still argued Simon and Derek were pulling some sort of elaborate prank on her—she'd need to some more research on it.

 _But would that explain why they're convinced Chloe and Liz are different, too?_

Anastasia pursed her lips. Chloe being able to see the dead, Liz is apparently a half demon, Simon's able to do magic—how was she supposed to wrap her mind around it?

 _Maybe stop being so stubborn and actually accept it! Chloe's doing better at this than you are, and she's seeing dead people._

Anastasia let out a frustrated sigh, not even paying attention to the homework assignment in front of her. Something having to do with math.

 _Once class is out, I'll try and do some more research._ Anastasia let out another sigh. From the last time she did research on vampires, it was all the same to her. Vamps couldn't go out in sunlight, they couldn't eat anything with garlic, holy spots would kill them, decapitation and setting them on fire could also kill vamps. Anastasia's brows furrowed.

 _Quit being so stubborn for once and just accept it, OK? Haven't you noticed how your body's changed? The weird bloodlust, the fangs, the sixth sense? Isn't that proof enough? And don't forget when Uncle Ari came to visit! Even he knew something. He said something about certain genetics in certain families. Listen to what everyone's telling you._

* * *

By the time classes came to an end, any opportunity Anastasia wanted to do more research was stopped before it even began. Dr. Gill wanted Anastasia to come in for a therapy session, a little earlier than normal.

"How's everything been going for you so far?" Dr. Gill was studying Anastasia closely, her eyes narrowed, her pencil ready to jot down anything—every sudden movement she made—and that made Anastasia feel uneasy.

"I'm doing fine," she said. "Just fine."

Gill scurried to write down what Anastasia said. "I know there's been a lot of... _drama_ going on lately," she said, her tone not losing its professionalism.

"It's not bothering me in the slightest," Anastasia interrupted. "I like to stay out of business that doesn't concern me."

Giving a thoughtful hum, Gill studied Anastasia for a split second before writing down what she said. "And how's your medication doing?" she asked.

"Great." Anastasia almost winced at how short the answer was. She hadn't been taking her medicine for a while, and if Gill somehow found out about it, then there'd be some consequences for sure.

"That's good," Gill said, her voice almost slowing down as she studied Anastasia's expression. "You're improving, Anastasia. That's what we want here."

Anastasia nodded wordlessly.

"I've heard that you've been spending a little time with Simon and Derek." Anastasia swore she heard a harshness in Gill's voice when she said Derek's name; she tried not to look so bothered by it.

"Just to help with certain things," Anastasia lied.

Gill nodded and wrote that down.

"I think I'll conclude our session for today." Dr. Gill closed her notepad and looked at Anastasia with her rat-like eyes. "I'll see you soon, Anastasia."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the wait, guys, but here's the new chapter! Let me know what you think, OK? Reviews are important!**

 **I own nothing in the DP universe. All I own are my characters and an exhaustion from looking for a new job.**

 **Let me know if you've got ideas for future updates, OK? I won't be able to update as frequently this upcoming week** **—I'll be working for the next six days since some of the people where I work are going on vacation. My hours got bumped up. I guess I'm happy about that, but I don't know.**

 **Anywho, leave a review on suggestions you have. I'm all for reading what you guys think should happen.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


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